Do you dream of starting your own blog but the path seems shrouded with doubts? Find yourself scrambled by the questions of generating traffic and creating income?
You will be rained with bloggers once you open up your Instagram, Facebook, etc. The internet is full of them from occident to orient, talking on a myriad of topics. From health to designing, glossy pictures and witty content are plastered all over the internet. With the cup already overflowing, will there be room for ones like us? Well, the answer is yes. There is enough of space and opportunities in the blogosphere for us too! And guess what, you don’t need a luck streak while you buy lotto tickets for it. You simply need advice from the cream de la cream!
If you really wish to start one but are scared of taking the plunge, give it a shot! There is only one chance to life, unleash yourself from anything that holds you back. If you dread starting a blog like a dilettante. Here are the tips that will smooth the road to blogging for you, making you blog like a champ!
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1. Bow Your Head to Get a Sneak Peek of Yourself
Before you dive into blogging, know yourself completely. It is a commitment you should know you are ready to make. Whether you have the time and dedication it requires? What are your capabilities?
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Don’t just look at it as a means of making cash. You won’t be able to do it. You won’t be an instant hit. Creating quality content takes time. You have to optimize it for the search engines, squeeze in time for social media, connect and engage with the audience.
2. Come Up With a Plan
Planning comes first no matter what you do. Even though there is nothing to lose in blogging, the amount of time and energy does matter. Therefore, it is wise to decide what you wish to write about. Anything that you are passionate about or you are a prowess of?
Your first blog won’t give you instant wings to soar on the winds of success. It takes time, patience, and hard work. So bear in mind that your blog won’t be an instant hit. Delve into yourself to find out what you are passionate about and draw up a long-term blogging plan.
3. Put Your Learning Cap On
Once you have stumbled on your desired niche, do a bit of research. Follow those who have hit it with their blogs and pump up your creativity. You can pick up essential tips from them, and see the trendy things that have been a success. Be free from vanity and learn as much as you can from those who have been in the game for long.
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4. Blend In the Community
Do not think of others as your rivals, instead mix with them. No one can hamper the growth of your blog as everyone has their own tale to tell. Everyone has a different way and style of presenting their views and thoughts. Therefore, it would be of immense value to join various blogging communities. Put in your queries and see how useful others experience will be for you. All you will do is learn from them, and an added advantage is that you will make some amazing friends. Get out into the light, ask questions and be true to your work.
5. Picking out A Name
This part of starting a blog is the most frustrating. Thinking up of a domain name is the hurdle everyone tries to circumvent, but it is a necessity. It does take time, but it should not be the reason to stop you from starting a blog.
6. Set Out of Your Blog
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Your every piece of writing should have a purpose behind it. Either it is a vehement declaration of your opinion on an issue, or you want to answer queries or present information. Your purpose counts since you cannot doodle around while you blog if you don’t want to lose your readers. Blogging is all about having an online conversation with your audience. An enjoyable conversation fuels the mind of it readers propelling the brains. An invaluable content should be a priority.
7. Catchy Headlines
Heading act as a magnet for readers. They instantly decide whether or not to give it a read by the look of the heading. Rid yourself of the boilerplate headings if you want to increase traffic to your blog. A riveting headline arouses curiosity drawing the reader to your blog.
8. Ferret Your Audience for Ideas
The best way for the prolific growth of your blog is to know what is popular among the audience. Look for the trendy topic of your niche or if you have a flair for writing irrespective of a niche then look for the most read and curiosity-arousing topic to write about.
9. Understanding your audience is a requisite
Looking at things from your audience’s perspective is another way of winning them over. It is important to be one of the pack in order to lead it. That is how things work in blogging too. You have to be one of them to understand them more than they understand themselves.
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Knowing them better will help you with the type of content that best suits and resonates with them. One of the ways to get closer to your audience would be to use social media platforms. You can put up a question or a quote to get an idea of their thoughts by the kind of response you will receive. This way your blog will be more engaging.
10. Write For Yourself
As a writer, you should first write for yourself. Just pour out your thoughts, ideas, and opinions as they come to you. Be genuine and true to yourself. Being honest with yourself will be reflected in the work you do. More than sites, people follow a person. So make sure to voice your thoughts.
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You don’t need to pin on fancy jargon or big words to impress others. In fact, this might make your blog lose its charm. Stick to your point. Keep it as simple and conversational as possible. Write as if you are speaking. You do not need to pivot on heavily abbreviated and jargoned vocabulary. Your writing should be comprehensible in a way that your message goes out easily.
11. Value Your Current Readers
In your urge to reach out to the world and increase the number of your readers, do not forget the ones you already have. Yes, you should try to find new ones but keep reminding the current ones that their presence does mean a lot.
Open up that tap and let whatever knowledge you have flow. Do not hold back any piece of information thinking that you are giving away the secret. Since, in this world of fast-paced internet that is readily accessible to all, nothing is a secret anymore.
12. Your Blog Needs a Facelift
The more enticing your website looks, the more people will visit it. Don’t go overboard with it. Keep it nice and smart bearing in mind that it should be user-friendly. Be flexible and prepared to make changes and alterations when required.
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13. Mobilize It
Around 80 percent of the internet users make use of mobile phones to access it. Therefore, it is important to optimize your blog for mobile users. Blogs are mostly read on the go, so the designing must be supportive of the phone as well as PCs.
14. Embrace the Struggle
Determination is an integral part of blogging. To be at the top of whatever you dream of you have to keep showing up regardless of how rough the path gets.
Your work is bound to hit the critique and ceaseless negative remarks of cyber bullies. Just know that whatever you face today will be worth the success you will get later.
15. Getting Hold of the Revenue Mechanism
Everyone wishes to make money out of blogging. It is considered as the stable source of income. But you should understand the various ways of making money online. You can get affiliate programs to earn a kickback for the promoting products, or you can earn by running display ads with Google AdSense. Thus, your content should be good enough to attract others and be a source of revenue.
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When writing a blog, your content is all that matters. Now let’s peep into some of the content techniques you should be wary of.
- Don’t be a copy-cat. Whatever you write should be what you have to offer to others rather than a reflection of a person you admire. You will lose your authenticity and charm.
- Never cook up things or mislead people. Once you lose your trust, it’s hard to gain it again.
- Be different. Honour your uniqueness and do something outstanding. Learn from others but do not paint the same colors. Come up with something awesome.
- Be persistent but patient. It will take time to climb the rungs and reach where you have dreamt of. Don’t get obsessed with the stats. Numbers are important, but they aren’t everything. You won’t make it right out of the gate. And yes, get Google Analytics installed.
Rules for Thriving
Your content should be easily accessible. Social media is the greatest tool that is employed for trumpeting. You can become part of a community as networking is a vital element. You need to connect both with other bloggers and the readers. Guest posting is an amazing way to extend reach.
Write irrespective of time, since old content is perceived as irrelevant. Your writing must speak air out your thoughts with conviction. Make your point clear as precisely as you can. Do not throw your words at them. Be to the point yet gripping.
Do not give up
Bear with the delay and do not lose hope fast. Holding on long will ultimately lead to your success. Be consistent in your writing. Capture ideas and turn them up into posts. Criticism is part of anything you do. Similarly, you will encounter it in writing too. But remember, you usually get hate remarks from few when you are doing something right. So do not lose heart, instead, use it to work yourself up.
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Be on a constant lookout for inspirational things. This is how you will be able to fill up others too. Keep yourself motivated and inspired. Your content is either a reaction to the feedback you receive, or it is your masterpiece. Know what it is. It is best to use the feedback only for improvement rather than dampening your spirits.
What You Seek, Seeks You
Blogging comprises of two very important Cs: Content and consistency. These are inseparably connected. There must be around 15-20 posts a month for you to bring traffic to your site. If you want to see your site hit the ceiling, you have to work accordingly. The higher the aim, the harder the effort.
How to Come Up With Innovative Ideas
When you feel completely blank and unable to think of what to blog about, you can type your search terms into Google, and you will see a multitude of things to write about. Fuel yourself up using it. You also have internet at your service round the clock. Surf the internet, look at the non-industry sites or spend time on social media, and there will be a surge of ideas you can use for your blog.
Enlist all the interesting happenings or anything that you befall you while you go shopping or strolling in a nearby park. Sometimes miracles do happen that is any idea could pop up when you wake up. Anything that is intriguing enough to write about. Dump your ideas and thoughts which you might employ every time you sit to give those fingers a run!
I hope by now you are aware of the intricacies of running a blog, that it ‘s not hard or impossible. All it needs is your commitment, and you are good to go. It won’t be long before you are blogging like a champ!
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Author Bio: Hi, I am Emma Braun a professional content writer and a passionate freelance blogger. I am currently administrating the blog at Craftedium!
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